


Understanding

by mozarteffect



Series: Vegeta's Guide to Relationships [3]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Because OG Dragon Ball was really Not That Great that way, Even though Goku ships it he is still a protective dog about Bulma okay, F/M, Fluff, Heads up this references attempted rape, Humor, No but really why is attempted rape a constant punchline on Bulma that is so messed up, Nobody asked for me to write a sympathetic angle to Bulma but I'm doing it anyway, Not quite a confirmation of feelings, Oblivious Yearning, Saiyans are not sexist don't @ me, Set in the 3 Year Gap but not about it, Vegeta being Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Vegeta is a prude don't @ me, Vegeta is awkward that's just my brand at this point, Vegeta's bizarre struggle with feelings and respecting one (1) whole person, trust building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26386216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mozarteffect/pseuds/mozarteffect
Summary: Sequel to Resuscitation.They weren't talking about the almost-kiss.Vegeta wanted to talk about it.Unfortunately, he ends up hurting Bulma's feelings in the process. Now The Mighty Prince has to muster up the courage to make Some Sort Of Apology.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs & Vegeta, Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Series: Vegeta's Guide to Relationships [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913092
Comments: 5
Kudos: 69





	Understanding

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, sequel to Resuscitation, so that soooort of has to be read even though I tried to make it understandable even without it. 
> 
> This will probably actually be the last one in this series because doing things in Threes is nice and even (even though three is an odd number) and I really need to get back to my other projects. Thanks for enjoying this weird little exercise for what it was!

They weren't talking about it.

They hadn't talked about it for a month now.

In fact, Vegeta noticed Bulma appeared to be purposefully avoiding being in contact with him for too long, even as he tried to rile her up into a fight. Her cheeks would turn red with anger, her aura would flare up (something he had grown strangely in tune with over time), but then...nothing. Bulma would take a deep breath and turn on her heel to walk away.

Retreating? _Retreating?_ It wasn't like her at all! The way she skulked around the compound and pointedly turned tail and _ran_ when she saw him left an unpleasant feeling in her wake. She was taking meals in her room and lab much more often, she changed her habits _specifically_ to avoid him unless for professional courtesy. (Bulma thought he didn't notice anything about her or her own routine--of course he did! Two years now living on Earth, how could he _not_?)

What was the problem? Why did she have to be such an _enigma_? Why was the obvious divide that wasn't present before...wearing on him so much?

Vegeta never had a need for another person in his life, but he did have a need for routine, and whether it was intended or not Bulma Briefs had become a part of his routine.

This divide was very rudely disrupting his routine.

Not just disrupting, _annoying_ him--Bulma never practiced such cowardly avoidance tactics like _this_ until now. Where was the fiery woman who stood up to him outright? Where was this same woman's gentleness and care? She treated him like a stranger and Vegeta had no clue how to get things back to how they were. _She_ certainly wasn't going to bring it up.

Fine, if she wouldn't, he would. He thought he was being perfectly reasonable when, one afternoon as she was walking to her room, he phased in front of her and said: "Is this because of that kiss thing?"

No answer. She stared at him with her mouth agape like some sort of fishy life form, a slight movement had her backing against the door as though retreating was an option. (Fool, of course he would just break down her door if she fled into her room!)

"It is, isn't it?" Vegeta pressed, a haughty smirk tracing his expression. "You can't handle having the tables turned on you, can you?"

Usually, Vegeta was quite good with his strategies and analysis of opponents.

Not with Bulma, however. She side-stepped the door to move over onto his other side, an...unusual, confusing mix of emotions flashing over her face.

Honestly, she looked like he had just slapped her. He didn't expect her to say anything until: "Is that why, Vegeta? You just...brought up that whole thing to get back at me?"

...What? His smug facade dropped into a perplexed frown. "What do you mean? Of course, if I find a weakness in an enemy, I exploit it."

A mistake. As soon as he spoke those words he realized, somehow instinctually, he had made a grave mistake. Bulma stared at him for a long time until a harsh bark of a laugh tore its way out of her throat.

"Enemy, huh?" she said, her voice hoarse. "Weakness, huh? Wow...just...wow, Vegeta..." She shook her head, chuckling bitterly.

He didn't understand what she was saying or why she looked...

"I thought you weren't like other men, Vegeta. I'm disappointed."

_Oh._

Vegeta understood now. She was hurt. He had hurt her and she was...disappointed in him. And somehow, despite his boasting about enemies and exploiting weaknesses, it tore at him.

A week had passed since then, Bulma now avoided him completely while Vegeta stewed over _what_ she had meant and _how_ he could end this hellish limbo as he paced back and forth in his training chamber.

Why did it have to be _him_ , anyway? What was he supposed to do? A...apologize? No! Ridiculous! That blasted woman _did_ something to him, she manipulated his mind!

 _"I thought you weren't like other men,"_ her parting words repeated.

 _"I like that you never bullshit me. I do like you a lot, Vegeta,"_ her kind words to him echoed.

They spun around in his head, piling on top of each other, trying to make sense of what had gone wrong. Vegeta slammed his fist against the wall of the GR in frustration, wanting to scream. He really wasn't good with this sort of thing at all, why did he--?

_"Maybe if you devoted as much time to training as you did to flirting with other girls and accusing me of making time with Vegeta..."_

Something clicked into place. Bulma made reference to the fact that he wasn't like _normal men_ more than once in the infirmary.

Their last conversation, she concluded he _was_ like "other men" after all.

 _Other_ and _normal_ he assumed had to do with being from Earth, but what Bulma seemed to consider _normal_ had to do with lying. Being unfaithful in a committed relationship. Something...threatening? Unsafe. Which sounded _ridiculous_ to him, why would she consider _him_ safe? He was a murderer, a destroyer of civilizations and planets, he wasn't _safe_.

He pondered over what made him different from other men to Bulma (until she decided he wasn't) for much longer than necessary. He observed her from afar as she went about her business, trying (and failing) to think of what could be done to end the frustrating impasse.

How did this happen. How did he go from...awkward dreams about her, to a surprising moment of her resuscitating him, all leading to a conversation about kissing. Then...nothing. He betrayed her trust? But she shouldn't have trusted him in the first place, it was her own fault!

But if that was so, why did he feel so... _bad_? Why did it wrench at him to see her catch sight of him and sharply turn away, to see her smile fade and her aura darken? He had never cared about anybody's opinion of him his whole life, but with _her_ he felt like he had lost something genuinely good that he wanted _back_.

The beginning of the second week of their impasse, Kakarot popped in _again_ only compounding Vegeta's misery.

"Hi, Vegeta!" he greeted cheerfully, grating on the older Saiyan's nerves. "How's the training going?" he asked in a tone of wanting to ask about something else, a slight fidget that he seemed to think would go unnoticed.

Suspicious. Vegeta narrowed his eyes at him. "You want to ask how the woman and I are doing, don't you? I don't understand why you care so much."

Kakarot stumbled over his words, laughing awkwardly and scratching at his scalp. "Oh, well, you know! Bulma's my oldest friend, you know? She's the first person I ever met outside of my grandpa."

"I am aware, I've heard the stories before," Vegeta replied, bored. He didn't give a single damn about Kakarot's _happy childhood adventures_ with Bulma and how they were such _good and close friends_. He didn't want to hear about what a _positive and wonderful relationship_ Kakarot and Bulma had. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound! "If you're concerned that I'll hurt your precious friend, you're too late."

He hadn't meant to blurt that out.

He certainly wasn't expecting Kakarot to slam him against the wall of the GR with a look of _intent_ in his eyes in response.

"Sorry, _what_ was that, Vegeta?" Kakarot inquired coolly, the tightening grip on Vegeta's neck contrasting with the detached tone. "I'm not hearin' so well today, mind repeatin' that?"

"Dammit--" Vegeta hissed, grasping at Kakarot's wrist with one hand and gathering ki in his other. "I haven't touched her, you imbecile! I'm not _that_ much of an ingrate!"

"Oh, okay," Kakarot responded, the threatening aura and tone immediately dropping along with his hold on Vegeta's neck. "Y'guys had a fight, then?"

Mystified as he might have been at the sudden flip between the clown's moods, Vegeta coughed, scowling at his hated rival. "If it were that simple," Vegeta said with acid dripping off his words as he rubbed at his throat, "There wouldn't be a problem."

He loathed the idea of explaining things to _Kakarot_ of all people and _possibly_ gaining insight into the situation. Truly did. There was no way he would ever admit he did anything wrong to _Kakarot_ , especially about things that were _not_ his business.

"She's cross with me for acting like _other men_ , whatever that means."

There. That was vague enough while also stating the issue. Kakarot looked appropriately confused (but then again, he was an idiot).

"Gee...huh..." Kakarot rubbed at his chin, thinking it over. "When we were kids, I'd protect Bulma from bad guys. I guess most of those bad guys were...guys. At least I think they were."

(Vegeta, naturally, rolled his eyes at how ridiculous and childish that all sounded.)

"Yeah, a lot of them were guys...they'd chase Bulma and talk about doing bad things t'her."

Oh, ugh, _revolting_. Vegeta's lip curled up in disgust at the implication. Not just at the knowledge of the act of rape (something he despised) existing even on a seemingly peaceful planet. Bulma compared _him_ to men like _that_. It was almost enough to make him leave the conversation entirely to find her and shake some _sense_ into the blasted woman--he wasn't like _that_. No way! Murderer, yes, rapist, hell no!

Either Kakarot was oblivious to Vegeta's disgust or ignoring it, he continued with his story regardless: "But sometimes, we'd run into bad guys and she'd act different." He frowned, his usually soft features marred with consternation. "I _knew_ they were bad guys, even if they didn't act like the bad guys we ran into on our adventures. I just didn't...like 'em. They smelled funny. I didn't like the way they looked at Bulma, either. But when I asked her if they were bad guys she said...no. And just leave it."

He didn't know what to say to that. The idea of Bulma not picking a fight with someone was odd, even with the different social norms of Earth.

"I figured it out later," Kakarot said with a shrug. "Bulma's a genius, y'know? She said at the time we met she had already graduated from college--that's super-duper high education here on Earth, Vegeta, usually y'would be a grownup."

"I'm aware of what higher education usually entails, Kakarot, even if I didn't attend," Vegeta interrupted flatly, feeling his eye twitch at the measurement of _super-duper_. It didn't surprise him one bit that Bulma had already completed higher education in her teens, of course, he might have seen her degrees of completion hanging on the walls along with the pictures at that. He just ignored it because it wasn't important to him.

"Oh okay, well, Bulma was smart enough to be teachin' other college students, so she did that too at the time we met. I sat in her classes a couple-a times. I didn't get a dang word she was sayin', but she sure seemed good at it!"

Something nagged at Vegeta about the line of thought that was trundling along between the two of them. Bulma was constantly busy, he didn't know half of what she did during the day when she wasn't doing maintenance on the GR or working on his training equipment. He only had the vague knowledge that sometimes she would venture out to do official business at Capsule Corp's main office. Was there teaching at college involved as well? It wouldn't surprise him, she had a habit of stretching herself thin.

"Her students weren't exactly nice to her, though," Kakarot explained. "I'd hear 'em talkin'. I think Bulma did, too, but she just pretended she didn't hear. They'd say a lotta mean or nasty things because she was younger than 'em. Y'know what I mean?"

_Hmmm..._

He was starting to puzzle something together. Not that he would tell Kakarot such a thing. Vegeta only scoffed and brushed the other Saiyan off, sending him on his way.

"All right, all right, I'll go!" he laughed, touching his fingers to his forehead to teleport out again. "But Vegeta, whatever ya did, Chi-Chi always tells me that an apology is a good step forward!"

And, before Vegeta could protest the idea of _apologizing_ , he was gone.

"Imbecile," Vegeta grumbled, trying not to ruminate over the knowledge he had gained now and the greater picture that was coming together. He didn't have time for that, he had to train, he had to...

Whether he liked it or not, the picture was coming together. By Bulma's perspective, she had always been held to a different standard than _normal_ , because she wasn't normal. She was a child prodigy (a fact he didn't want to acknowledge he related to), her family was wealthy and influential, it made sense now--on one hand she would be undermined for her age and on the other...

_Like other men._

He remembered when the shift in her expression began. That flash of hurt.

She was comfortable with him and had a sense of trust because she was secure in the idea that Vegeta was _not_ the type of man that would attempt to exploit her good will. Whether for monetary gain, status, or even sexual favors. (He knew Earthlings had some bizarre perversions, but he didn't know it was _that_ obscene!)

And he muddied that up by telling her she was an enemy and he was exploiting a weakness. Not a weakness, actually, an insecurity. A man being forward with her wasn't confusing, it was _threatening._

_But didn't she say that it was all right? That she wanted that?_

His head spun. Maybe it _was_ all right because _he_ wasn't like other men who would...who might...but then he...and then it _wasn't_ all right.

Vegeta could only conclude, much to his dismay and horror, that he would have to set things right with Bulma by... _apologizing_. By coming to her and saying, full out, that he had made a mistake. He didn't mean to disrespect...an ally by calling her an enemy. He wasn't intending to use her for her kindness, her status, or even her body. In all truth, he was a nobody compared to her--a prince with no kingdom, a weak man afraid of things he didn't understand, cruel and ignorant. She was...so good, so kind (even though she had her own brand of cunning that set her apart from other goody-goody types), she deserved so much better.

Yet, the idea of putting all of that into _words_ and spilling it out just didn't sit right with him. It would be entirely out of character--he wasn't a man of _words_ , words were meaningless, they could be blundered or forgotten. No, Vegeta _thought_ and he _acted_.

The question was...what sort of action would he take to apologize? _Especially_ without actually apologizing and keeping his dignity intact?

Somehow, his mind wandered back to kissing. He felt his face grow hot and shook his head--no, no, he couldn't do _that_. Bulma _might_ have been fine with kissing him before, but doing that while she was mad at him would more than likely make things _worse_. So he would have to use his words, at least a little bit.

 _Dammit...why am I even bothering? This is such a nuisance!_

Something in Vegeta told him that though it was a nuisance, it was worth it...

* * *

This really wasn't in his skill set.

There Vegeta was, the proud prince of all Saiyans, sat on the bed of a woman that...wasn't a _stranger_ , precisely, she had appointed herself the role of his ally.

He hadn't been _invited_ into her room, not by any stretch. He was sitting there in the dark waiting like a creepy freak for her to come back, tapping his fingers on his knees, glancing around the decor.

Vegeta had never been _inside_ Bulma's room, of course not, but his glances as he walked past to his own into the open door had told him a few things.

One, Bulma was a complete mess of a person. Her notes and discarded drink cans missed the overflowing wastebasket by miles and she didn't seem to care at all. More often than not, she would be passed out and _sprawling_ on her bed with a _total_ lack of decorum.

Two, her room was _goddamned PINK._ Pink! Pink and, weirdly, decorated with diagrams of vehicles and artillery hung on the walls, not to mention the _actual_ guns. Why did she have so many _weapons_? Why had he never seen her use them?! Albeit, she seemed to have more of a fascination with disassembling and modifying them judging by all of the half-finished projects he would notice as well.

Three, she seemed to use it more as a workshop than a room. He recalled hearing conversations between her and her mother, the latter bemoaning that Bulma needed to "take the work out of the bedroom." Use the damn room for _relaxing and sleeping_ ( _"and maybe entertaining a gentleman!"_ she had tittered at the time.)

As he sat there, he concluded that Bulma appeared to take that to heart since the last time she had left the door open long enough for Vegeta to actually steal a glance into her room. The walls were no longer that repulsive _pink_ but a lighter shade of lilac that dimmed the room in the evening. The entire layout, as well, had been rearranged to remove a lot of the projects and replace them with furniture. He observed a television hanging on the wall, a coffee table and couch set, a plush chair set aside by the large window doors out to her balcony, _some_ photos on the dresser...

He was stalling trying to think of what he was going to say to her whenever she arrived. ( _After_ explaining he wasn't being a creep and waiting in her room in the dark for anything untoward, anyway.) Vegeta decided to stall some more by looking over her photos--her parents, of course, her and the _former_ paramour (which he tried not to scowl at), herself as a teenager with Kakarot and the bald one as children (which he _did_ scowl at).

Her room was so much bigger than his, a strange thought occurred to him. The bed was much bigger and softer, too.

Not that he really cared, it simply perplexed him how one person needed so much space.

A flicker of something _bright_ at the peripheral of Vegeta's senses had him sitting straight up--Bulma was coming. _All right,_ he thought with grim reserve. _Here it comes._

Bulma's door opened, she pushed her way in and flicked on the light with one hand as she juggled her blueprints in her other arm. She didn't seem to notice him at all, causing Vegeta to scoff to himself and quietly deride her ex for not teaching her ki sense. How was she supposed to be aware of any potential threats if she couldn't?

Well, it turned out, Bulma didn't need to be _aware_ of threats. When she caught sight of him, she shrieked and slapped a button on the wall.

Vegeta suddenly found himself with a _lot_ of laser sights of guns pointed at him.

"Bulma, it's me," he said a little too calmly considering the answer for where her guns had gone was literally staring at him in the face.

"Vegeta?" Bulma tilted her head almost disbelievingly at him. "What are you--? Oh, great, is you coming in here going to be a thing now? Now I have to make improvements to these guns." She broke off into a grouchy mutter to herself as she pushed the button again to disengage the defense sequence.

All told, she was taking him being in her room even better than expected, besides the guns. Vegeta waited for her to set everything aside and pay attention to him again.

It took too long for his liking (he wouldn't admit his impatience had in part to do with anxiety), he piped up with: "I suppose I can come in here more often, if you're inviting me."

She froze, casting a shrewd glance at him over her shoulder. "I'm not," she responded coolly.

 _Ouch_. Vegeta tried not to wince at the unexpectedly painful jab. "Now see here..."

"Vegeta, I know you had that cute little quirk where you called me a servant because you didn't want to rely on anybody as an equal, but I thought you learned by now that I'm not a little pissant you can just play around with whenever you want."

 _Ouch!_ "Bulma--I don't--I don't see you like that!" Vegeta squeaked--yes, _squeaked_ , though he tried to keep himself from sounding exasperated, his voice definitely cracked. "I--I came here to..."

She paused, straightening up, her eyes--those entrancing eyes--fixed on him as she approached to sit down next to him. Bulma's presence next to him was...comforting. Warm. Something about it felt more natural than he ever thought he could comprehend.

...Now what?

"I...was mistaken. I misinterpreted your intentions." Vegeta found himself staring down at his clasped hands, trying not to shake at how _out of his depth_ he was and how nervous it made him baring whatever glimmer of his soul to her. "I am...not the kind of person who has allies. It's not the sort of world I came from. To trust someone or see one as an ally in the world I come from is to open yourself up to weakness."

"To betrayal," she spoke what he was thinking with a calm acceptance that he wasn't expecting. "I see."

The silence between them dragged, bearing down on Vegeta's mind that was telling him over and over _this is the part where you apologize_ , but he just _couldn't_. He _couldn't_ spit out something like that. "It's difficult to accept that someone like you would devote your time to helping someone like me," he managed. "All the same, I value what...we have."

( _But I think I want more._ )

Bulma did not respond at first, shifting around next to him. Finally, he felt the gentle touch of her hand directing him to face her, where she waited with a small smile. "Well, Vegeta, I don't know what goes on in that pretty little head of yours," she said, "But I think you're amazing. I admire your work ethic, like I said, I've never seen a man as dedicated as you are to getting what you want."

Before he could respond, she leaned in. "But I always get what _I_ want, too, and what I want is to earn your trust unequivocally. I won't stop until I do."

 _Wow,_ one part of his mind thought.

 _You already have my trust,_ thought another part.

"May I...?" his mouth said as he subtly leaned in to meet her.

( _You shouldn't, this crosses a line. Where would that leave you both?_ )

She nodded.

Vegeta crossed the line, pressing his lips to hers, closing his eyes with a gratifying sense of relief.

Feeling secure enough around a person to actually close his eyes was a new sensation. But then again, so was kissing. It was quite a weird act, mashing lips together and sort of rubbing them--yet, it was...pleasant. He could feel a heat rushing up in him centered on the feeling of her softness and the taste of strawberry lipgloss.

Vegeta only backed up again when he felt the flick of something _wet_ against his bottom lip. He stared at her, blinking in surprise, and came to the realization that it was Bulma's _tongue_ he had felt. Was that a thing, too? In kissing? Was that really something he could just _do_? But why, but _how_?

"We should probably stop," Bulma conceded with a sheepish look. "Going so far like this was weird in the first place, wasn't it?"

Vegeta shook his head stubbornly. "No, I want to keep going."

"I don't think you're ready for tonsil hockey or dry humping, Vegeta," Bulma argued back.

Though he winced at how _vulgar_ those both sounded, Vegeta could see that she was deliberately making whatever-those-were sound as disgusting as possible to put him off. "How would you know? You don't know what I'm thinking."

"You're not," she said, not critically, she was smiling again with an understanding look. "You don't need to rush anything just to prove a point. I'm not going anywhere. And...I guess you've proven you're not, too."

_...So then, you'll want to do this again later? So then, you want to commit to this, to me? That's..._

It was a bad idea. He was no good for her, not at all, if he were a decent man he would admit to this and let her go.

But he wasn't, he was a selfish bastard destined for Hell. While he wasn't the luckiest person in the universe, he always made _sure_ he got what he wanted in some way.

"And," she continued, leaning forward and...

Rubbing her nose against his.

 _Oh!_

"Since I'm so gracious, I'll forgive you for being an asshole." Bulma grinned at him, pushing on his chest as a signal to get up and get off her bed. "But don't pull any macho stunts like that again, tough guy, got it?"

Vegeta didn't know what macho meant precisely, but nodded nonetheless, a little stunned at her gesture of affection to him. She remembered their conversation about Saiyan culture and, though she came from a culture that was decidedly _more_ affectionate, she wanted to respect his anyway.

She really was serious about the desire to earn his trust.

However...did he have hers? Just one apology (though not much of one) and forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean that.

He supposed he would have to earn it as well.

Something in him told him again that the endeavor was definitely worth it.


End file.
